Program

NYS Historic

Subject

Industry & Commerce

Location

Approx. two miles north of Borodino, on NYS, Rt. 41 (also known as Five Mile Point, Spafford, NY

Lat/Long

42.877443, -76.374181

Grant Recipient

Town of Spafford

Amos Miner was born in Connecticut in 1776 and learned the wheelwright trade. While clearing land, he was accidentally injured. While confined to his bed he developed the idea of improving the old-fashioned spinning-wheel, then in popular use for making woolen yarn. The result was Miner’s accelerating wheel-head, patented in 1803. In 1805, he purchased 27 acres of land on lot 68, Marcellus (now Spafford) but soon after established himself in Factory Gulf. Here, Miner built a factory, fitting it with machinery of his own invention, and manufactured wheel heads, flails, fork handles, and other wooden utensils for the household and farm.